One minute I’m in my backyard playing with my kids and the next thing I know I see darkness, shadows, and a tiny bullet hole in the wall surrounding me. I hear voices and glass shattering from psychotic prisoners across the hall, but the next thing I see is a tiny sliver of light along with footsteps getting louder and louder until I see a hand reaching through the small opening in the door giving me something that looks my kids’ throwup.
I’m sitting on a concrete block in an empty room and wondering where my life went. I don’t understand how I could have possibly ended up in here. I have a family, a life, I can’t just pack up my things and be in prison for the rest of my life. My family needs me, I need to be a dad to my daughter, I don’t want them to live a life without a dad. My life has turned into me sitting in an empty room by myself, no one to talk to, no one to interact with, and barley no life left. I’m going to miss all my kid’s birthdays and their graduations. I’m going to miss my kids getting married. I know I will get out of here somewhere and somehow…I have to.
I got accused of killing a 16-year-old teen. The court had an illustration of what the suspect might have looked like and they said it had to be me. In the picture there was a mustache and I have never had a mustache. I was at a concert with my family when the event happened. I had been wrongly accused of something that I would never do. I love my family, friends, and the people around me too much to kill someone or even think of doing anything like that. I tried to tell anyone but they ignored me then I called my wife and she was crying, my daughter asked where daddy went, I cried.
I couldn’t do it anymore I needed to prove my point. I decided to call my friend which was a detective. I asked him to pull up certain clips of me at the concert in the crowd to prove to the court that I was there. He watched the clip many times 5 hours long trying to find me and my family. He couldn’t find me, he watched it again, couldn’t find me. I had to go to court tomorrow either way. (Next day) I’m standing in court and my friend whispers to me, “You’re getting out.” My mind was filled with emotions and I couldn’t believe it was actually happening. I hugged my family and I was looking forward to all the memories to come.
The Middle Seat 